


Neon City Naturals

by shineandsilvers



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aliens, Alteans, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cyberpunk AU, Fight Scenes, Galra Empire, Gay Keith (Voltron), Leakira au, M/M, Other, Rebels, Voltron au, its canon king in THIS world, klance, leakira - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2019-07-01 00:46:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15763158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shineandsilvers/pseuds/shineandsilvers
Summary: Leandro knew Akira meant something to him, even before the prison break, discovering life from other planets, joining an underground gang and throwing themselves into an intergalactic war with no easy end in sight.Akira's been through something like this before, strangely enough.It's probably going to be a tough few deca-phoebs for everybody.But who knows, after all, that's just what the aliens said.





	1. Morinaz

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: LEAKIRA IS JUST FOR FUN ITS JUST AN AU i love voltron and i dont mean to offend or harm anyone i just think leakira is pretty neat so imma write about it.  
> also pls enjoy

A chilling wind blew through the silence of Morinaz maximum security prison. Actually, it didn't. If you really listen, you can hear the sounds of prison guards getting their asses handed to them.

Leandro ducked, dodging a guard's fist as it collided with the wall behind him. Using his lowered position to his advantage, Leandro shot the guard in the stomach with his blasters, set to stun, obviously. It definitely wasn't a mistake that Leandro just decided to roll with.

The guard flew backwards and crashed against the opposite wall, smoke wisping up from his blast wounds.

Leandro stood up straight, blowing imaginary smoke off his blasters and grinning to himself. He looked over to Petra and saw her struggling to block the attacks from another prison guard. She seemed even smaller than usual compared to how large and burly the guard was as he towered over her. As Leandro started towards them, he noticed two more guards coming up from behind them. Picking up speed, he raised his blasters and in their direction and fired. One of his shots landed true, hitting a guard square in the chest, but the other guard managed to dodge the blast.

The guard stopped suddenly and pulled his own blaster out from his holster. Leandro noticed the guard's weak stance, hands trembling as he raised his gun. As he gained momentum, Leandro leapt up and ran sideways across the wall. Before the guard knew what hit him, Leandro kicked off the wall and tackled the guard to the ground. The guard toppled helplessly, unable to get back up with Leandro's weight pinning him down.

"Gotcha!" Leandro said tauntingly before bringing the butt of his blaster down, knocking the guard out cold.

Leandro got up and turned his attention back to Petra and the burly guard. He raised his guns towards the guard and fired. The blasts hit him directly in his exposed chest, throwing him backwards and off his feet.

"Hey, I had that!" Petra yelled while blowing overgrown hair out of her eyes. Its normal hazel colour seemed faded, probably from a lack of care.  
"Yeah, you're very welcome." replied Leandro.  
The guard began to stand up, but was quickly knocked back down by another guard's body flung at him.

Leandro and Petra looked in the direction of where the body came from and saw Hunk fighting off three guards at once. They were all kicking and throwing punches, as their guns were lying too far from reach. Hunk was incredibly strong, as he has been since Lance met him and Petra when they first began high school, so Leandro wasn't exactly worried for him. More for the guards who thought they could take him down. Bunch of idiots, really.

Hunk's fist smashed into a guard with so much force that it carried around to the other guard next to him, sending them sprawling to the ground. He swivelled around with surprising speed and punched the last guard right in the face, who crumpled in a heap.

He stopped to catch his breath, learning down and placing his hands on his knees.

"Oi, big guy!" called Leandro. Hunk looked up tiredly, but smiled back anyway. "Hey Leo!"

Leandro beamed, making his way over to him. He wrapped his arms around Hunk, leaning his head against his chest. "It's good to see you again, man." Leandro breathed. Hunk wrapped his big arms around Leandro in return. "I missed you guys, I can't believe it's been two months!" he exclaimed. "Yeah, I thought our heroic Leo would've broken us out of prison faster." Petra remarked as she joined the hug. Leandro extended his arm around her.

"Come on," said Petra, breaking off the embrace. "We have to get outta here before more guards arrive." Hunk grinned. "Oh man, I can't wait to get home and just eat a plate full of cookies."  
"Or a bowl full of popcorn," Petra continued.  
"Or a chicken burrito,"  
"Or fries!"  
"Or a-"  
"I can hear so many guards coming our way getting ready to kill us and you guys are thinking about food?" Leandro said with a raised brow.  
"Well, you're not the one who's eaten the same black lumps of nobody knows for the past two months." Hunk smirked.

The trio ran down the corridor, skipping over the bodies of the poor, poor guards who were going to wake up with terrible headaches.

"Which way, Leo?" Hunk asked. They stopped, looking around waiting for guards to jump out at any moment.

"Uh, left, then down the corridor immediately after. I think." Leandro shoved his hands in pockets, searching for his map. He stopped and paled slightly. Sheepishly, he took his hands out of his pocket.

"Okay, so it turns out I didn't bring the map," Leandro confessed.

Petra gaped at him in disbelief. "You're wearing that coat you've been looking at for ages - which I have to say, looks great man, can't believe you finally got it - with, like, a thousand pockets, and YOU DIDN'T BRING A MAP?"

Leandro shrugged his shoulders. "These pockets aren't actual pockets, they're just for fashion's sake." 

Hunk groaned. "It doesn't matter now! All that matters is that the guards are coming and this prison break could be for nothing!" 

Petra threw up her hands. "Eh, fuck it. Go straight!" she said, darting across the corridor. Leandro threw his head back and laughed, "Ha, go straight. It's funny because technically, I can't go strai-"

"Yeah, we know, Leo!" exclaimed Hunk as he pulled Leandro into a sprint down the corridor, attempting to keep up with Petra.

\----------------------------------------------

The lights in the hallways flashed red as the trio ran past. Alarms blared loudly as a voice played over it, directing all the guards out of their current positions and to find the escaped prisoners.

The trio ran through several different corridors, though they all looked all identical. It was becoming more and more like a complex maze, with no end in sight. Petra halted suddenly, leaving Hunk and Leandro crashing to a stop behind her. 

"Geez, I break you guys out of prison, and this is the thanks I get?" Leandro said, gently pushing Hunk off his back.

"It's a dead end, dummy." Petra retorted. 

"THERE THEY ARE! GET THEM!"

A group of heavily armed guards were storming towards them, led by a broad man with a glowing, orange eye.

"Whoop, okay," Leandro said, pressing against the wall. "Time to bring out the big guns." He took a small, circular device out of his pocket and stuck it to the wall as it started beeping. 

"That's a real big gun you've got there, Leo." Hunk said sarcastically. His eyes darted back and forth frantically from the device to the guards, who were getting closer and closer.

"Yeah, it is." Leandro said smugly while pushing everyone backwards.

The guards began shooting, but missed as the trio ducked, letting the blast hit the wall instead. With a loud BANG! the device on the wall detonated, creating a hole large enough for the trio to crawl through. 

Shoving Petra through first, Leandro climbed through and dusted his coat down. Hunk dived through seconds later, barely giving Leandro any time to get out of the way. He landed with a perfect (and well, unecessary) roll and stood up, scanning the outside of the prison when he let out a gasp.

A huge, stone wall towered above them, blocking the way to freedom.

"Leo, tell me you didn't forget about this big-ass wall." Hunk said, eyes glued to the one thing standing in their way.

Leandro's hand flew to his mouth in feigned surprise. "Oh goodness, how could I have forgotten about the only serious obstacle in this prison?"

"I wouldn't be surprised. After all, you forgot the goddamn map." Petra muttered.

"So, how are we getting out then?" asked Hunk.

"Well, our ride should be getting here any second now. We're supposed to meet here at-" Leandro checked the very real Ben 10 watch sitting on his wrist. "-thirteen minutes ago."

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

The man with the glowing eye stepped through the hole in the wall behind them. Only seconds later, the whole wall blew out, revealing an even larger team of prison guards behind him. Leandro raised his blasters, ready to protect his friends who he kind of forgot were completely unarmed.

The guards crouched into position, ready to fire at the one eyed man's command.

Suddenly, something crashed loudly into the stone wall behind the trio, causing them all to turn their heads. The wall shook, dust coming off lightly. Again, it hit the wall, prompting the trio to take a step back. The guards must have stepped back too, as the one-eyed man barked out "Hold your positions!" Finally, whatever it was smashed into the wall again, succesfully breaking through and sending pieces of stone flying in all directions. 

The trio ducked as parts of the wall sailed over their heads, one even knocking down a guard. They looked up as the dust cleared, revealing a figure with shaggy, black hair and riding goggles covering his eyes sitting on a large, red hoverbike. True, the bike was unlike anything Leandro had ever seen, but it was the person on it that surprised Leandro.

"Akira?"


	2. Glazer Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> omg guys thank you so much for reading!! I honestly can't believe people actually read this!! yall are the best

Leandro was confused. Who was this guy? How did Petra know his name? How can someone look that good in riding goggles?

"What are you doing here?" asked Petra, shouting over the hoverike's loud engine.

"Yeah, I thought Rowan was supposed to meet us here!" Leandro added.

Akira tightened his grip on the handles of the bike. "No time to explain, just get on!"

The trio scrambled onto the bike as energy blasts flew by their heads in quick succession. Akira turned the hoverbike around, sending dust and little rocks flying from around the propellers and drove back through the hole in the stone wall. The hoverbike was faster than any vehicle Leandro had ever been in, and his uncle had literally spent years in jail for speeding. Also murder but, whatever.

They dashed into the forest outside the prison, weaving expertly through the trees. Leandro was just starting to feel as though luck was on their side, since he got his friends out of prison reasonably unscathed and some random hot guy had come to their aid.

Surprisingly, he was wrong.

The guards had gotten on their own bikes and were shooting at them from behind. Of course, Leandro couldn't see exactly where the guards were, as he was sandwiched between Hunk and Akira. It wasn't exactly what you would call comfortable. Akira had a gleaming, silver katana strapped to his back and God knows why he would need one in a hoverbike chase. Leandro could barely breathe either with Hunk gripping on to him for dear life, praying he wouldn't fall off the bike.

Out of the corner of his eye, Leandro could see the trees beginning to part. They had come up to Glazer Falls, the waterfall a mile away from the prison and the total opposite direction of where they were supposed to go.

"Hey, the city's back that way!" Leandro yelled, his voice slightly muffled since his face was squashed against Akira's back.

"I know, but this is the only way to get them off our tail!" Akira replied.

Suddenly, the bike shook, forcing Akira to swerve and nearly crash into a tree. The bike had taken a hit. Akira grunted loudly as two guards were gaining on them, firing their guns rapidly.

"Petra and uh, big man! Hold on to the bottom of the bike, this is going to be dangerous!" Akira yelled as they approached the edge of the waterfall.

Hunk's eyes widened in fear. "It wasn't dangerous before?"

"Just do it!" Akira barked. The guards' shots were landing closer to them, one grazing Akira's oversized red jacket.

Petra and Hunk barely had anytime to grab on to the bike before Akira flipped a switch at the front of the bike. Almost immediately, the bike split cleanly in half and sent Petra and Hunk spinning away. They skidded out to a ridge hanging over the waterfall, balancing for a fleeting moment.

Then Leandro's heart dropped as they plummeted over the edge.

"NO!" he screamed desperately as Akira kept driving, speeding away from the edge.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" Leandro shouted in anger.

"They'll be fine," Akira responded. "The bike will protect them-

"IT'S ONLY HALF A FUCKING BIKE, HOW WILL IT HELP THEM?"

"We're going to get killed if you don't get your shit together, okay? Just shut up and trust me."

He really didn't want to. Leandro looked over his shoulder but only saw one guard following them while the other must have gone to see where Petra and Hunk went.

"Can you get him off our tail?" asked Akira.

"Of course I fucking can't, I'll fall off this stupid bike!" Leandro spat back.

"Hold on to me then!"

Leandro had no choice. He snaked his arm around Akira's waist and turned around, raising his blasters towards the guard. With a single shot, Leandro hit the front tire of the guard's bike. It tilted forward before completely flipping over, sending the guard flying. Leandro felt himself begin to grin, but it faded quickly as he remembered that Hunk and Petra weren't there by his side.

Suddenly, more energy blasts came flying their way. To the side, Leandro saw an entire squad of prison guards shooting at them.

"Got any more bright ideas, samurai?" Leandro asked dismally.

Akira shifted his grip on the bike's handles. "Actually, I do."

He turned the bike suddenly, moving on to a new path that seemed to go back towards the waterfall. They were going in the direction of the guards, clear as more of their blasts landed on the bike. Akira wasn't slowing down either, in fact, Leandro swore he was going even faster, leaving him wondering what the fuck Akira's plan is.

Then it hit him.

Akira's plan was to drive the both of them down the waterfall as well. Also, one of the blasts struck his side, and sweet fuck, it was burning like hell.

"Sweet fuck, this is burning like hell!" Leandro exclaimed.

"Sorry, but this isn't going to be much fun either!" said Akira, well, kind of menacingly. Crazy ass motherfucker, Leandro thought to himself.

The guards had surrounded them, firing shots from all directions. Akira pressed a button just next to the bike's handles and Leandro heard the engine begin to die down. It didn't really seem to matter as they were still flying towards the waterfall's edge at full speed. Leandro could see they were getting dangerously close to the edge and obviously, Akira wasn't acting like anything was wrong. So Leandro decided to do what he does best; just roll with it.

With one arm still wrapped around Akira, he raised his other arm and flipped off the guards as they plunged over the edge of the waterfall.

\----------------------------------------------

Though their lungs burned and their bodies ached, Leandro and Akira managed to get out of the water and settle inside a cave near the base of the waterfall. Akira was right after all. The bike had formed some kind of protective barrier around them, breaking the impact as they crashed into the water. Leandro could only hope it did the same for Hunk and Petra. Akira hid the bike under some bushes, in case any guards were in the area searching for them.

Leandro dropped to the cave floor. He was exhausted and sleep had never felt like a better idea. However, the pain in his side from the blast wound was keeping him wide awake. Akira came into the cave, shaking water droplets out of his hair like a wet dog.

"I don't suppose that magic hoverbike has any burn treatment gel, does it?" Leandro joked weakly.

Akira knelt down next to him. "No, but I do." He took a small jar out from one of his many jacket pockets and opened it carefully.

He lifted Leandro's shirt with gentle hands and started to apply the gel. It was freezing to the touch, but Leandro felt instant relief as Akira smoothed it onto the wound. Leandro shut his eyes and sighed, leaning his head against the cave wall.

"That was a good shot back there, with that one guard." Akira commented.

"How do you know?" Leandro replied. "You couldn't even see it."

"Well, I mean- ugh, nevermind." Akira went silent but continued treating Leandro's wound.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it in that way." said Leandro quietly, breaking the silence. "I'm just not really used to people complimenting me. About my shooting though, I get compliments on everything else."

Akira's tongue flicked over his lips. "Sure you do, sharpshooter."

Leandro could've sworn he saw Akira's cheeks redden, though he could barely tell. Akira moved his riding goggles up so they rested on his head but his hair still fell freely around his face. He stopped applying the gel onto Leandro's wound and twisted the jar shut. His eyes met Leandro's as he looked up.

"There, all done." Akira said with a small smile.

"Oh, cool, thanks!" stammered Leandro.

He was too focused on Akira's eyes. It was like a whole new colour Leandro had never seen before. They were dark shades of purple, with black and grey tones all mixed together to create something beautiful and mysterious.

Akira got up and offered Leandro a hand.

"Come on. We should go find your friends before the guards do and send them back to jail."

Grabbing his hand, Leandro stood up slowly, still leaning slightly on Akira.

Suddenly, he heard a sound from the back of the cave. It sounded like some kind of weapon charging up, but definitely nothing like an average blaster.

A tall man with flaming hair stepped out from the darkness with a large, alien-looking machine gun, raised to fire at any moment. Blue marks glowed faintly on his cheekbones, a clear sign he wasn't human. He probably would've looked more threatening if not for a bushy moustache sitting above his lip.

Another figure with a gun emerged from the darkness, a girl this time. Her skin was much darker compared to the man's and had short, white hair just touching the base of her neck. She also bore similar marks on her cheekbones, though hers glowed pink. However, the things that stood out the most were the long, pointed ears poking out of her hair.

"Who are you?" she questioned. "And how did you steal that Altean hovercraft?"


	3. The Edge of Altea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lmao sorry i didn't write for ages, got slapped with exams also my ass lazy

Akira drew his sword, holding it in front of himself and Leandro defensively.

"What does it matter to you?" He replied questioningly.

The alien girl scowled and stepped closer. "We'll be the ones asking the questions, and I demand to know where you found it!"

Akira rolled his eyes. Sure, he was shocked that there were aliens standing right in front of them, but did they have to be pricks?

"I was given this bike by a friend."

The other alien stepped forward. "And who may that be?"

"Rowan." Akira answered. 

Almost immediately, he felt the urge to shoot himself. What was wrong with him today? First, he accidentally launched Leandro's friends off a cliff, although he knew the saftey features were put into that part of the bike, he just hadn't really tested it, and now, he had given away Rowan's name. But it's just a name, there has to be heaps of Rowans around, right? he thought to himself.

It must be this Leandro guy throwing me off, he concluded. Akira didn't know what it was about that guy, but everytime Leandro looked at him, he felt his chest tighten. Then again, Leandro had really only looked at him like, twice, but still.

Surprisingly, the aliens lowered their weapons. Akira glanced quickly at Leandro, who seemed just as confused as he was.

The alien girl smiled softly, though her eyes remained serious. "So you two know Rowan."

Leandro raised his hand. "I barely count, I only really talked to her for this one favour and, well, she didn't even show up so-"

"That's besides the point," The alien girl cut in. She turned, grinning at the fiery-haired alien. "This means she's still alive."

Akira looked down at the floor. "Actually, no one has been able to contact her for days."

She jerked her head back to Akira. Furrowing her brow, her eyes narrowed as she stared him down, making her seem angrier and defensive than before. "What do you mean?" she questioned warily.

"It means no one has seen or heard from her for the past week."

Groaning, she threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Of course. She's bloody missing. It's not like I've waited deca-phoebs to see her again."

"Deca-what? Who the hell are you guys?" Leandro exclaimed.

The alien man straightened, as though he was trying to look tough. Although, Akira thought his moustache resembled something fresh off a cartoon, so the whole dangerous alien vibe had vanished.

"I am General Coran, loyal subject to Princess Allura of Altea." he announced glowingly.

Leandro seemed strangely unfazed. "Sick. Why are y'all here then?"

Coran sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. He threw his weapon down, flopped harshly to the ground and looked up wearily.

"Sit down, humans. This is going to be one hell of a backstory."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

The sky was burning. The buildings around him were ablaze, smoke drifting out of every window in sight. Coran knelt alone in the stone courtyard, unable to move. He was too late. The Galra had taken Altea and burnt it to the ground, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Coran wanted to leave and needed to leave, but he was rooted to the stones below. Tears streamed down his face as remained trapped in the memories he had of his family.

He saw Mother, tending to the vibrant, purple juniberry flowers in the garden. His little niece, Aarine skipped around happily, admiring the birds singing in the trees. She was young and so full of wonder and curiosity, people just couldn't help but love her. Coran leaned against the gate leading from the courtyard to the garden, waiting for Aarine to realise he was there. Surely, she looked up and away from the birds and saw him waiting for her. She bounded towards him with arms spread wide and a grin plastered on her face. Coran crouched down, waiting for her to jump into his arms.

But she never did. He came crashing back into reality, where he would never be able to hold Aarine again.

The house continued to burn around him, but it was no longer his home. Not without his family. Suddenly, Coran remembered the mission he had been given. Using all the strength he had left, he tore himself from the ground and ran for the Castle of Lions.

As Coran raced through the streets of Altea, he saw Galra cruisers flying across the sky. They were still detonating explosives all around the city, destroying what was once so beautiful. He scanned each building as he ran by, searching for any more Alteans who were still alive, but he saw nothing but death and emptiness.

By the time Coran reached the Castle of Lions, it had almost been completely destroyed. As he crossed the bridge leading to the castle, it crumbled behind him, falling into the deep abyss below. He tried to run faster, willing himself to get all the way to the hangar at the top of the castle.

Coran sprinted down the hallways, seeing the extent of Altea's destruction from the castle's tall windows.

Altea had been painted the colour of blood and fire. In all his life on Altea, he had never seen the sky so dark and clouded with ash. Not a single building had been spared by the Galra, all broken down to crumble into nothingness, not even a whisper of the people who called this planet home remaining. 

Focus, Coran. You have to find the royal family. They are your last hope. 

Coran could feel blisters burning on his feet as his pace began to slow. He wanted to give up. It would be so easy anyway. The royal family could probably escape on their own. He could just stop running. There's nobody left on Altea. 

There's nothing left on Altea.

But how could he give up on the people who gave him a life worth living?

So he picked up the pace. He ran deeper into the castle, finally reaching the hangar holding the last chances of escape from this broken planet. The large doors had cracked open, probably destroyed by the explosions shaking the grounds of Altea. All of the fighter jets were gone, piloted by soldiers who had given their lives for the royal family. 

A single spaceship stood in the emptiness of the hangar. It wasn't big in any way, hardly spacious nough to fit two people. But it sparked a flicker of hope anyway, when Coran saw the young princess sitting in the pilot's seat, preparing to flee from their burning home. The King was standing at the base of the ship, scanning the hangar for any signs of trouble that should come their way.

With a final burst of energy, Coran sprinted and stopped at the King's side. 

"You have to leave now, Alfor. The Galra have destroyed everything, and we both know they're on their way down here right now." Coran said, panting heavily.

The King smiled fondly down at him. He turned and gripped Coran by the shoulders and looked deep into his eyes.

"We both know only one of us can protect Allura. Someone must stay here."

"Quiznack, Alfor, you have to leave right n-"

Alfor suddenly pulled Coran into a tight hug. 

Coran felt a sudden, overwhelming grief pouring over him as he embraced his friend.

Alfor pulled away, tears brimming in his bright eyes.

"You will go with Allura. Teach her what I cannot. Remind her of the sacrifices made today for our people. They must never be forgotten." Alfor said sternly.

"Alfor, I musn't do this! I can't leave you here! I won't let you die!" Coran responded desperately.

Alfor wiped his tears away with the back of his hand.

"Take care of yourself, Coran. Remember, I'll always be with you, whether you want me there or not."

"This is no time for jokes, Alfor! You have to go!"

Alfor smiled again, unsheathing a giant broadsward and turning it over in his hands.

"I'll hold them off for as long as possible while you leave. Even you know it's the only way."

"Alfor I-"

"I love you, Coran. You always have been and always will be my best friend. My brother."

He tried to speak again, but Coran just couldn't find the words. Alfor strode away, marching to his death.

Coran willed himself to move, refusing to let Alfor's sacrifice be worth nothing. 

He squeezed into the seat next to the princess, sitting in silence as she flew the ship out of the hangar. Tears were streaming down her face, a sign that Alfor had already said his own final words to her.

As they flew higher into the sky, Coran saw a fight raging on the crumbling bridge from the palace to the city. Alfor was blocking the attacks of Emperor Zarkon, the cruel traitor responsible for the death of Altea. Coran kept his attention on his dear friend, unable to do anything but watch until they reached the edge of Altea.

Finally, they were safe. Every Galran spacecraft had been sent into Altea for its destruction, so their escape path was clear and rather empty. The princess suddenly flicked a switch and leaned into her seat.

"We're set on a path for Earth. We should reach there in about 30 quintants." Allura said softly.

"Princess, I-"

"It's alright Coran, you don't have to say anything. I know things will be okay once we reach Earth." 

Coran sat back in his seat. He felt useless, unable to console the princess or save the lives of his people and their King.

I really hope things will be okay once we reach Earth, he thought.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Akira blinked.

He didn't know what to say after learning the miserable history of the people who were just trying to kill him mere minutes ago.

So Leandro broke the silence. 

"Shit." 

Coran nodded solemnly.

"But I don't get it. What did the Galra need so badly that meant they had to destroy an entire planet?" Leandro asked.

Allura looked up, her multicoloured eyes gleaming with a fake smile plastered on her face.

"The Galra simply want everything; power, riches, general universal domination, you name it."

Coran coughed into his fist and stared at the princess. She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Leandro and Akira.

"Also, we have reason to believe Earth is next on their list."


	4. The Mouth of the Cave

Leandro blinked. Earth is next on their list.

Oh well.

"Frankly, that's not the craziest thing I've heard today," Leandro said nonchalantly.

Akira pretended to be shocked. He couldn't afford to show that he knew anything about the Galra. Not yet.

"So why exactly are you here? Do you guys know how to stop the Galra or whatever?" he asked.

Allura snorted. "'You think we'd be here if we knew how to stop them?"

"Well, we do know some things," Coran interjected. "If we could just talk to your leaders, we could possibly find a way to save your planet."

Akira opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off by Leandro coughing loudly. The boy pushed off the cave wall and stumbled closer to Coran, a hand still resting on his wound. He pointed an accusatory finger toward the aliens.

"Why should we trust you, huh? You guys could be a bunch of cult bitches just trying to force your shit on us!" Leandro said, his voice hoarse.

"If you don't want our help, that's fine," Allura retorted. "There are other planets that need our help, so we'll just find Rowan, and fuck right off from your lovely, little dirt-planet."

Coran gasped. "Princess! That is no way t-"

"I've been through enough, Coran," The princess continued. "All I want is to get Rowan and go find people who actually want our help."

"Hey, just hold on!" yelled Akira. All eyes turned towards him.

"We're all tired," Akira offered. "We all have problems that need each other's help. Why don't we just go somewhere warm and discuss our issues properly?" 

Coran and Allura glanced at each other and seemed to telepathically reach an agreement. 

"Fine," Allura responded tiredly. "We need to get our things and then we'll go...?"

"You'll have food and shelter at my place," Akira provided. 

"Hang on, guys," Leandro cut in. "My only two friends got thrown off a cliff recently, and I'd like to find them before I go absolutely apeshit."

Coran suddenly perked up. "A big guy and some little girl?" he asked.

"Um...yeah?" Leandro said cautiously, furrowing his brow.

Coran grinned and headed into the depths of the cave. Leandro and Akira exchanged a confused look. They glanced at Allura, hoping for an explanation. She raised a certain hand gesture in response. Barely seconds later, Coran returned, dragging two bodies with him. 

Leandro raced towards him, still holding his side. He dropped to the ground, staring at the bodies of Hunk and Petra, clothes still soaked with water. They were both pale, lips blue from the cold. Leandro checked both for a pulse.

"They're alive," Coran said reassuringly. "They were unconscious when I found them, and I wasn't sure who they were, so I brought them in here."

"That doesn't seem safe," Akira muttered to himself.

"Why do you think my gun's charged up?" Allura whispered in response.

 

\--------------------------------

 

The Alteans dragged their spaceship from deep in the cave. Using some weird alien science, which confused the hell out of Leandro, the ship transformed into a large jeep-like vehicle. Leandro hauled his unconscious friends into the alien van, panting with effort.

Akira was too busy tending to his bike to help him. Miraculously, the part of Akira's bike that fell with Hunk and Petra washed up on the riverbank, just meters from the cave's entrance.

Clutching his side, Leandro shut the car door and strolled over to Akira. Rather awkwardly, he leaned against the bike and cleared his throat.

"Space jeep," Leandro started. "Pretty neat, right?"

Akira blew a strand of hair out of his face, still fixing something in the bike. 

"It's cool, but they've got nothing against this baby," he responded.

Leandro chuckled, crossing his arms.

"What's so special about your bike?"

"Oh, you'll see," 

"Gee, that's ominous," teased Leandro.

The dark-haired boy stood up, re-adjusting the goggles on his head. Reaching into a small compartment in the bike, Akira pulled out another pair of goggles. He held them out to Leandro expectantly.

"What's this for?" he questioned.

Akira grinned softly. 

"You asked what's so special about the bike, so I'm gonna show you."

Leandro felt his cheeks redden as he took the goggles from Akira's hand. Thank the cover of night for hiding his face.

They both hopped onto the bike, just as the Alteans got into the space jeep with Hunk and Petra. Leandro was stressing for his friends' safety. He wasn't fully sure whether he could trust the aliens with his two friends' lives. 

"Don't worry about them, they'll be fine," Akira said, as though he could hear Leandro's thoughts.

Leandro snorted. "Trust me, I'm more worried about being on this bike again,"

"Actually, it may be a bit unstable after dropping off that cliff, so you better hold on to me," Akira suggested.

"Ooo, how scandalous," said Leandro, as he scooted closer to the dark-haired boy.

Resting his hands on the bike's handlebars, Akira's heartbeat quickened as Leandro wrapped his arms around his waist. Leandro didn't notice since he was too busy worrying about his friends.

Akira would love to say he was nervous because he wasn't used to people touching him, but this Leandro guy; there was just something about him.

Shaking the thought from his mind, Akira started up the bike, revving the engine loudly. He motioned for the Alteans to follow him as the bike rose and hovered slightly above the ground. Coran nodded in response, signaling for him to go ahead.

Akira turned slightly to Leandro. "Get ready, this is going to be pretty fast,"

Leandro grinned in response. 

"Don't worry samurai, I like it fast."

That time, Akira was sure the boy behind him could feel his heart racing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took like 90 years to write smth. does anyone actually still want any more updates?  
> 


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